58 kilos gone, thanks to pizza!
Chelsea wanted to be a better role model for her kids
Dropping the frozen chips into the deep fat fryer, they hit the bubbling oil with a satisfying sizzle.
Carbs are life, I thought, scooping out golden fries and smothering them with gravy and cheese.
In the house I shared with my partner, Andrew, and our kids, Isabella, then nine, Thomas, six, Oliver, three, and Harrison, one, potatoes reigned supreme.
I would even ladle mash onto our spaghetti with tomato sauce!
The fryer also got a workout – I’d dunk schnitzels and chicken nuggets into it too.
‘I’m still hungry,’ I’d tell Andrew after dinner, slumped on the couch watching TV and gorging on Shapes, Twisties and Doritos.
I’d always been big, my weight hovering around the 115 kilo mark.
But now I refused to step onto a set of scales, or even look at my reflection in the mirror.
I really don’t want to know, I thought.
Working from home, I rarely left the house, and, if I did, I’d pull on comfy PJs as soon as I stepped back through the door. But then in January 2019, we had some family visiting from interstate and we decided to take them to Pizza Hut for dinner.
It was a special occasion, so I even dressed up in a pretty floral frock.
Gorging on greasy pizza, and buttery garlic bread, we had a great time.
Then snap – someone took a photo.
When the pic flashed up on Facebook later, I recoiled in horror.
My arms are massive,
I fretted.
I didn’t even have a neck – it was just one giant lump!
‘Why didn’t you tell me
I looked like that?’ I asked
Andrew, mortified. ‘I look like an elephant.’
But my man thought I was beautiful, no matter what my size.
I can’t live like this any more, I decided.
Hopping on Google, I typed in lose weight quickly.
Several companies that deliver healthy food to your door popped up.
I can’t afford that,
I thought.
Making excuses, I wallowed, and after a few weeks of comfort eating, I was sure I’d put on even more weight. Borrowing my mum-in-law’s scales, they read 130 kilos.
That’s the biggest I’ve ever been, I panicked.
When Andrew then weighed himself, clocking in at 126 kilos, I was even more shattered.
I’m bigger than him, I thought, devastated.
Scrolling through Facebook, I looked up The Healthy Mummy –a community for busy mothers who wanted to lose weight.
Looking at other people’s before and after photos,
I was inspired.
If they can do it, maybe I can too, I thought.
‘We both really need to be better role models for our kids,’ I said to Andrew.
We had to completely overhaul our lifestyle.
Ditching fizzy drinks, I started drinking diet cordials to get myself used to water.
And, chucking out our deep fat fryer, I replaced it with an air fryer so we could still have our favourite meals – minus the grease!
I weighed my food and kept a close eye on
my portion sizes.
I was eating for three before! I realised, horrified.
I made sure to eat brekkie and fuelled my body with lots of healthy fruits and vegetables.
I even started trudging around the block.
The 800 metre route took me around 30 minutes and left me panting!
I’m going to die, I puffed, dripping with sweat.
But, pulling on my trainers three times a week, it got a bit easier each time.
Now, stepping on the scales was exciting – I was losing about 2 kilos every single week!
Five months in, I’d whittled a whopping 30 kilos from my frame.
So, I treated myself to a pair of size 16 jogging bottoms from Jay Jays.
I’d always loved their cool clothes, but I’d never been able to fit into them.
‘You’re fading away!’ my friends and family started to tell me once I had got down to 90 kilos.
After I’d lost another
5 kilos last December, I came across a competition that The Healthy Mummy was running.
The winners would be flown to Sydney for a glam photo shoot.
‘There’s no way I can do this!’ I told Andrew.
‘Yes you can!’ my supportive hubby insisted. ‘You deserve to do this.’
So I applied, and I couldn’t believe it when I was selected!
Dolled up with full hair, make-up, and a spray tan, I posed in my undies with eight other beautiful women who’d been on similar journeys to me.
I had been feeling petrified, but it showed me just how far I’d come.
Wow – I look pretty good!
I realised, seeing the photos afterwards.
‘My wife’s gotten older
‘You’re fading away!’ my friends and family started
to tell me
– but she’s gotten hotter!’ Andrew teases me.
After jumping on the healthy bandwagon with me, he’s lost a very impressive 24 kilos, too.
Now, 18 months on, I’ve lost 58 kilos.
Happy to be a size 10, I weigh in at 72 kilos.
Not only can I breeze around the block in five minutes, I run four times a week, and workout on another two days!
Recently looking at an old photo of me at my heaviest, my four-year-old, Oliver, stopped in his tracks.
‘Who’s that?’ he asked, looking confused.
‘It’s Mummy,’ I smiled.
If it hadn’t been for that picture taken at
Pizza Hut, I might never have made the change.
I’m still the same person – now I just love the skin I’m in.